Monthly Weather Summary – February 2020

The Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications’ Meteorological Directorate reported in their monthly weather summary that the month of February 2020 was warmer than normal in temperatures and below-average precipitation.

05 March 2020

The Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications’ Meteorological Directorate reported in their monthly weather summary that the month of February 2020 was warmer than normal in temperatures and below-average precipitation.

The mean temperature of the month was 19.1°C which is 1.2°C above the long-term normal for February.

The mean maximum temperature of the month was 22.6°C which is 1.4°C above the long-term normal. The highest temperature recorded during the month was 29.5°C which occurred on the 8th February at Bahrain International Airport but recorded 33.2°C on the 25th February at Bahrain International Circuit.

The mean minimum temperature of the month was 16.0°C which is 1.1°C above the long-term normal.

Although the temperatures were above the normal in general but the Kingdom of Bahrain had been affected during the period from 11th to 15th February by cold wave accompanied by a noticeable decrease in temperature with fresh to strong Northwesterly winds. This was due to a movement of a low polar trough followed by cold air mass towards the Arabian Gulf.

The Northwesterly winds had a noticeable effect on the feeling of cold weather, where the lowest temperature recorded was 10.0°C at Bahrain International Airport, 8.2°C at Sitra Island, 8.5°C at Durrat Al Bahrain, 8.9°C at Bahrain International Circuit on the 12th February. However, the apparent temperatures were less than 5°C in all stations due to the influence of the wind.

The lowest temperature recorded at King Fahad Causeway was 8.7°C on 13th February 2020.

Climate statistics for February of the previous years indicate that the Kingdom had experienced similar cold waves in which temperatures decreased to 10°C or less during February, for example the years 2017, 2008 & 2005.

Note that the lowest temperature recorded at Bahrain International Airport for February was 7.2°C which occurred on 11th February 1949 and 8th February 1950.

Only 1.0 mm of Precipitation was reported in February 2020 at Bahrain International Airport. Trace amounts reported on 20th and 26th February. Note that the long-term mean total precipitation for February is 16.2 mm and the highest monthly rainfall ever recorded during February at Bahrain International Airport was 106.8 mm which occurred in 1988.

The total monthly precipitation recorded for February 2020 at King Fahad Causeway was 0.2 mm whereas Sitra Island, Durrat Al Bahrain and Bahrain International Circuit had no precipitation recorded.

The mean relative humidity for February was 64% whereas the mean maximum relative humidity was 81% and the mean minimum relative humidity was 45%.

February 2020 was the second sunniest February since the sunshine records began in 1968 whereby the monthly total hour of sunshine recorded was 262.8 hours and only exceeded by February 2016 with a record of 287.1 hours.

The Northwesterly winds accounted for 36% with gusts reaching 39 knots on the 25th February at Bahrain International Airport.

Thick dust reported on the 25th Febraury. Visibility dropped to 600 meters at Bahrain International Airport.